1. Field The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer, and a power control method for use in the information processing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, various types of notebook personal computers that can be battery-driven have been developed. For notebook personal computers, dedicated batteries are prepared in accordance with their power consumptions.
In addition, for electronic devices such as cameras, various types of dry cells, such as alkali cells, nickel-metal hydride cells and lithium cells, are used as batteries.
Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2003-259191 discloses an electronic apparatus having a function of varying the luminance of a display in accordance with the kind of a dry cell that is mounted.
In the meantime, there has recently been a case in which a lineup of models of the same-type notebook personal computer, wherein different kinds of CPUs are mounted, has been introduced. The power consumption of the system varies greatly depending on the CPU to be mounted. Even in the same-type notebook personal computers, it is necessary to prepare a plurality of kinds of batteries on a model-by-model basis, which have different ratings such as output powers.
If a low-output-power battery, which is designed for a model with a low-speed CPU, is mounted in a notebook personal computer with a high-speed CPU, the power consumption of the system exceeds the battery rating. Consequently, such a problem would arise that the system may suddenly be powered off during an operation. Even if such a problem does not occur, the battery driving time would become extremely short.